Chris Browne

(b. 1952, USA)

'Hägar the Horrible' (2 February 1997).

Chris Browne is an American cartoonist, and the son of Dik Browne and brother of Chance Browne. He has continued his father's signature newspaper comic 'Hägar the Horrible' since 1988, and additionally created his own syndicated strip 'Raising Duncan' (2000-2004).

Life and career ('Hägar the Horrible')
Browne was born in 1952 in South Orange, New Jersey and grew up in suburban Wilton, Connecticut. While his older brother Chance first ventured into other artistic fields, Chris joined his father in his production of 'Hägar' from the start in 1973. Dik and Chris wrote the bulk of the gags, while Ralston Jones also provided material. The selection for a week's worth of strips was a family affair, in which his brother Chance, sister Sally and mother Joan also participated. He also worked with his father on 'Hägar the Horrible's Very Nearly Complete Viking Handbook' in 1985, and also helped out with Dik's other comic 'Hi and Lois' as well. When Dik Browne's eyesight deteriorated in the 1980s, Chris became more and more involved in the production, along with assistant Dick Hodgins Jr. His father retired completely in 1988 and passed away in 1989. Chris Browne is credited as the author of 'Hägar the Horible' since April 1990. His brother Chance took over 'Hi and Lois' around the same period, leaving their father's legacy within the family.

'Hägar the Horrible' (20 January 2015).

The 'Hägar' strip is distributed by King Features Syndicate to 45 countries into 13 languages. After more than 45 years, the obese Viking remains a fan favorite. Although he continues to roam the seas to pillage castles, villages and other ships, he fails to impress his victims. And even if one could call his quests adventurous, his family life is not. He frequently argues with his wife Helga. His son Hamlet is a book wurm who doesn't like fighting, much to his frustration, while his teenage daughter Honi is oogled by far too many men he dislikes. Even his dog Snert is disobedient.

'Raising Duncan' (20 November 2000).

Chris Browne's Comic Strip
In addition to 'Hagar the Horrible', Chris Browne has contributed cartoons to National Lampoon, Playboy, Esquire, Heavy Metal and The New Yorker, and he was a contributing editor to Sarasota Magazine. He made an autobiographical comic strip called 'Chris Browne's Comic Strip' for Universal Press Syndicate from November 1993 until July 1994. As the artist described it himself: "The past two decades of my life have been full of artistic, emotional and especially romantic struggle. But while I was looking for love in all the wrong places, true love was looking for me. This comic strip is a sort of mythic retelling of my personal odyssey."

Raising Duncan
Between July 2000 and December 2004 he launched another solo comic strip through United Feature Syndicate. The semi-autobiographical 'Raising Duncan' stars Big Daddy and his wife Adelle, both writers, and their black Scottie dog Duncan and cat Brambley. Again Browne could take inspiration from his own life, as he and his wife own several dogs, including a Scottie. From 2 December to 25 December 2002 Browne furthermore made the seasonal spin-off 'Duncan's First Christmas'.

Other activities
Chris Browne is also active as a painter, sculptor, illustrator and author, working from his Bunny Hill Studio in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His illustrated children's book 'The Monster Who Ate The State' was published by South Dakota State Historical Society Press in 2015. It stars a prehistoric dinosaur with a huge appetite, called Soozy, who encounters many South Dakota landmarks on her travels. In 2005 Chris Browne was one of many artists who made a graphic tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Browne's son-in-law Dan Piraro is the author of the King Features cartoon 'Bizarro' (1985).